Fading Roses
by Hanahime.Aiko
Summary: Why? Why has it come to this again? He was growing tired, far too tired of watching her back as she left - if he was even lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her back. She was so tired of being weak, so weak that he had to catch her all the time, everytime she fell. She too was a Fairy Tail mage, so why does she always have to rely on him for everything? T for language. A/N added.
1. Fading Roses

A.N: This isn't exactly a happy happy little one-shot, I was all weepy when I wrote this, but then again, I had the image and scenes playing in my mind, something I doubt I'll be able to completely create with my words. It's been a while since I wrote something properly after all. But do enjoy, and let me know if I managed to reach you.

* * *

_Why? Why has it come to this again? He was growing tired, far too tired of watching her back as she left - if he was even lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her back._

_She was so tired of being weak, so weak that he had to catch her all the time, everytime she fell. She too was a Fairy Tail mage, so why does she always have to rely on him for everything?_

The feelings of the two mages were hard to comprehend. On some days it would be joyful and they relied on each other in ways that were suggestive in the eyes of the guild's unofficial matchmaker, Mirajane. Other days they fought like rabid mice, but never till they hurt each other emotionally. Natsu was always a little more careful with Lucy. If he wanted to pick a fight, he'd pick one with Gray instead. Never Erza or he would be murdered. Never Lucy cause...cause Lucy wasn't someone he wanted to fight with. The partners were always good with each other. He wandered over to her place, slept and ate there. She often complained, kicking him out of her apartment, but never had she locked the window he always entered through.

The dragon slayer had found that the time spent with Lucy was getting far shorter and shorter. It was as though she avoided him, turning her back to him whenever he approached and fleeing at the highest speed she could muster up. He hardly even manage to catch a whiff of the woman. When he made his way to her apartment, Natsu found it cold and unforgiving, her scent weak...as though she hadn't been there. He tried waiting there for days, just to catch a glimpse of her, to speak to her. Did he do something wrong? Did he anger her? Was it because he failed to protect her in their previous mission? He had felt miserable, and hated himself, hated the fact that Lucy was beaten almost to death and never once regained consciousness during the journey home.

* * *

"Lucy!" Natsu called out, waving a slip of paper in his hand as he approached, Happy following behind. The same lazy grin never once left the pinkette, and he held out a hand to Lucy before promptly stuffing the reward paper into her smaller hands. On a side note, he observed that the little callous from her writing still remained, but he directed his gaze to her pale face without commenting. "An easy job! We could go on a mission and you could get jewels for your rent!" Pleased with himself, since he had thought of the blonde mage, Natsu jabbed his chest. "Just us would be enough!"

She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear before she smoothed the creases out of the paper on the table, peering clearly at the details. It seemed simple enough, a job to capture some thieves from a village. It paid well enough too, a total of 100,000 jewels for the capturing of thieves. Natsu could easily take a couple of thieves down. She had complete faith in his abilities and muscles, just not his brain. The man was as slow as a sloth when it came to things other than food and fights. He would never notice her budding feelings for him. Lucy sighed, propping her head up with a hand before a bright smile graced her glossy lips.

"Alright, Natsu. Let me just go home and pack my stuff, then we can be off!"

His grin never fell and he hopped off the bench, dragging Lucy along with an arm hook.

"Naaattssuuu! I can walk by myself!" Geez! What was his rush?!

The packing affair was quick, since Lucy had her bag ready. She had originally intended to search for a job, Natsu saved her the trouble. She tossed her items into the bag as swiftly as she could, wanting to hurry before Natsu destroyed her apartment once again. Once done, it was her turn to grab him and lead him out, making sure to lock up after herself.

The journey on the train was as per usual, the poor dragon slayer and his motion sickness acting up, leaving the male stretched out on the seat in misery and trying his best not to empty his guts onto the ground. Lucy watched, giggling softly at his many expressions and drawing her feet back up if it seemed as though he would throw up. But she soon gave in to her 'compassion' and sat herself by the man, lifting his head onto her lap and gently stroking his pink locks. She was no Erza, unable and mostly importantly unwilling to knock him out. Instead, she cooed softly to her partner, humming a song that her mother used to sing to her whenever she was down with an illness, a song she repeated back to her mother in her dying days.

He managed a weak smile as he fell asleep to the comforting touch and tune, leaving behind his sickness for the hours he dozed. Lucy...smelt nice.. He could go on like this forever...

But alas, the jerk of the train as it came to a stop woke the man up with a jolt, and he cupped his mouth before nausea could take over, sitting up the instant he could. Lucy had dozed off sometime after he did and he grinned at the expression she held, her lips slightly parted. Natsu leaned in, whispering into her ear and asking for her to awaken. But she only stirred and murmured his name ever so softly.

"So Lucy dreams about me, eh?" Chuckling to himself, the dragon slayer scooped the woman up, gesturing with a jerk of his head for Happy to grab her bag. The walk to the client's place was slow and easy and the comfortable Lucy slept upon his shoulder and chest even as the village elder watched.

"Lucy really sleeps too much, doesn't she?" He commented to Happy, clearly not paying attention to the poor aggravated elder. "We should wake her up soon, it's almost dinner time!" Andddd that was the reason why Lucy was shook awake, jumping away as the first thing in sight was Natsu's face so close to hers. In fact, she squealed and clasped a hand to her rapidly beating heart, cheeks a blazing red.

"Ahh.. Young love.." Muttered the village head, but he pointed the way towards the dining area, for them to dine upon the feast they had prepared, in hopes that a full stomach would aid the capture of the thieves. Abashed, Lucy had paid careful attention to all that was re-mentioned, noting the details down in her mind as Natsu and Happy stuffed their face.

The thieves had stolen a valuable artifact, a statuette that the village pray to - made of white jade. The village wanted it back, for it was more than just a statue to them, it was also a belief and their religion, it was something important; like Igneel's scarf to Natsu. She understood it well. It meant far more than its surface value, and she felt the rage build up towards the thieves.

"Come on, Natsu! We've got some thieves to catch!"

...She really was spending too much time with Natsu...

"I'm all fired up!" He yelled in response, hopping to his feet as he shoved the final piece of meat in his mouth. She shook her head at him, dusting her skirt as she followed him out. His nose will lead them to the thieves.

Everything went downhill from there.

The thieves were not alone, accompanied by mages, Lucy realized with a start that the battle might be far more intense than she believed, that there was more than meets the eye in relation to the statuette. Natsu, always keen on a good battle was all ready, and with Happy taking him to the skies, concentrated on the mages that only seemed to be increasing in numbers. She wasn't about to be useless there, and whipped out her keys to pick up the slack. Taurus was magnificent, that huge axe swung around like it was no weight at all. Single-handedly, he managed to take out the thieves that piled towards her - having thought that she was the weaker one and hence easier to take down. Victorious, Lucy watched Natsu intently, sure that he would manage perfectly fine. He was unscratched and the numbers against him was beginning to fall.

She smiled, pride filling her up. That's her man! ...Wait. No. Not hers. Not hers! No way! Stop right there! Flustered by her own mind, Lucy pressed her cooler hands to her hot cheeks, willing the redness and heat to disappear. Her distraction cost her.

Creeping up from behind Lucy were a smaller group of mages. Having already noticed and observed her battle abilities, they were quick to disarm her, tossing her celestial keys a good distance away along with her whip. The quicker one swooped in and silenced her with his magic; a barrier thrown around her. Unable to scream or shout for help, Lucy was a sitting duck. They crushed her easily, like an ant under a boot. When Natsu had disposed of his opponents with a well-timed Flame Dragon's Roar, he turned to where Lucy stood, the smell of her blood rushing to his nose as the barrier was dropped. The maniacal laughter was stopped short by his flaming fist, as the dragon slayer's guts sunk with a cold feeling. Lucy...Lucy...Lucy was hurt. He should have noticed earlier, but it was not the time to beat himself up over this.

He carefully scooped her into his arms, brushing the bloody tresses from her pale face. "Lucy..?"

"..Natsu... You did it, Natsu... You got them all.." A weak smile was all she could muster, before she collapsed in a dead faint.

He had rushed her back to the village with all he had - flames aiding his mad dash, yelling for the doctor. To his relief, Natsu was informed that she would survive. But the village had not the equipment or tools to treat her and advised him to return to Magnolia for a proper doctor as soon as possible. He set out immediately.

Erza had given him the beating of his life, but that would not equate to the guilt and anger he felt towards himself. Lucy was bedridden for several days, and he stood watch over her till she had finally opened those deep honey eyes of hers. He did as the doctor requested, fetching her to check on the Celestial mage once she was awake. Forced to leave as the doctor examined her, Natsu had rushed to the guild to inform everyone else that the young woman had finally awoken.

When he returned with his team and Levy, Lucy was propped up with a pillow, smiling cheerfully at them as though nothing had gone wrong. As though the bandages that covered her were not present. She didn't even look at him with accusing eyes, just those chocolates...filled with kindness...and a tinge of sadness.

* * *

Fist clenched tightly, Natsu rammed it against the wall of an innocent shop, sending it into a crumbling mess much like his head and mind. There was no point in going to Lucy's, she wasn't there, he could smell it. But the guild...there! She was there today! He'll grab her this time, and end this once and for all! He had to know why she kept turning her back to him, why she kept disappearing whenever he came close. The element fire was his friend, and he borrowed its strength to hurry his way to Fairy Tail, determination charging through his entire body.

But the view that greeted him was hardly a gleeful scene. In fact, it broke something within him as Lucy stood near the entrance, surrounded by their guild-mates. He could taste the salty flavour of her tears and he was about to rush in to demand the culprit who dared to hurt Lucy when he noticed the luggages that were by her side. So that was why the apartment seemed more sparse. She was leaving. But the way she sobbed and shook, how even Erza was close to tears, how Levy clung to her, crying like there was no tomorrow, how that ice-brain looked down at his feet like a worthless man. **There was something wrong. **And she didn't want him to know.

_**She was going to leave with telling him anything.**_

"Why are you crying without me there?!" He hollered, approaching the silencing group. His flames had not gone away from his run here, and they in fact leapt even higher with the knowledge he recently acquired. Erza moved forward, wanting to put distance between the partners, only to be stopped by a single hand upon her shoulder, Mirajane's teary gaze mouthing "They have to settle this themselves.."

"I can't rely on you forever!" She snapped, wanting him to get mad, get mean, anything that would let her leave without him stopping her.

"Why not?!" Was he **that **unreliable?!

"Because one day you'll leave me too!" Like her mother...like her father. Everyone she loved...everyone left her. Everyone would die... **Everyone**.

"I won't leave you!" He didn't understand how she could even begin to think like such, how could he ever abandon his team mate? His nakama? His partner?

"You will! Why don't you just let me go?!" Let her go? **_How could he just...let her go? _**The days he spent without her recently, it was perhaps only a week or so, but his heart felt empty. Everything had no meaning. He laughed, he played around, but sooner rather than later, he grew bored without her there. Things just wasn't the same without Lucy. How could he ever let her go? Just what did she think he was?!

"You're not supposed to be just another memory! You're supposed to stay by **my side**!" He raged, easily picking up one of the nearest tables and hurling it into the wall as he roared. Repeatedly, he grabbed and threw, crashing noises loud and clear. But never at Lucy, never at Lucy. She trembled, she wept, tears hot against her cheeks, an endless river as she begged for him to stop. His anger shook the guild to their core - they had never seen him get **that **mad at a friend. Natsu took one look at the crying woman, and he turned on his heels to leave.

And it was **her** turn to watch his disappearing back...

Was this how Natsu felt everytime she walked away?

This time she ran forth in a scramble, heart and body betraying her original decision - wrapping her arms tight around his torso, hugging him from behind. "Don't leave, Natsu! What good am I if I can't fight? If I can't go on missions with you, I'm of no use!" Hot droplets fell upon her hands, warm droplets dampened the back of his shirt. He stopped in his tracks, turning back and grabbing Lucy by the wrists, albeit too roughly.

She winced at the strength he used, at how he trembled. Reluctantly, she drew her head up to his hard stare, his incredulous teary stare. "Lies! You can fight! If you can't fight, I'll get stronger! I swear I'll protect you! I'll keep you safe! I won't let you get hurt again! I don't care if you can fight or not, Lucy. I just want you close!"

"It's not about that, Natsu! Please don't ask anymore..."

"Then what?! DON'T I DESERVE TO KNOW WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO LEAVE ME WITHOUT A FUCKING WORD?!"

"I'M DYING!" She screamed, burying her face into his chest, fingers curling around the soft material of his top. "...I'm **dying**."

His blood ran cold, heart screeching to a stop. Weakly, he repeats in a murmur. "You're...d-dying? No... Lucy. This isn't funny. You got me now, haha. This is a terrible prank to play, Lucy. It's because I walked in on you showering, right?"Hands clasped around his ears, the dragon slayer refused to accept a single word that she uttered, those two words were not the ones he wanted to hear. He rather she were mad at him for failing to protect her then, he rather she raged and batted at him. He wished to hell that his ears were damaged and he heard wrong.

But he also knew. He knew that Lucy would never joke about things like these. He didn't notice the tears that escaped him, or how his voice shook with emotion. "Lucy..." Something clenched around his heart and Natsu dropped his hands to her waist, drawing her close into a crushing hug. "Don't die, Lucy. Please, don't die. Fairy Tail won't be the same without you."

"I'm sorry, Natsu.. The doctor said...the doctor...there's nothing to be done.. It's the same thing that took Mama..."

"No! I won't allow it! We'll go to Porlyusica! She'll fix you!"

"Na-" She didn't leave him time enough to continue, those eyes loosing focus and blanking out. The beating of her weak heart escalated, but only for a second before it completely faded into nothing. Her eyes fluttered shut and her full lips - parted to speak, stopped drawing air to her lungs. Her strength left in her an instance, and it was only because Natsu held her tight that she did not crumble to the ground.

"...Lucy..? Lucy? Lucy?! Don't you dare, don't you fucking die on me like this! LUCY! LUCY!"

The anguished cries of the dragon slayer were accompanied by sobs from the females in the guild, along with some of the other guys, and Makarov watched from his perch on the second floor with a solemn expression, tears rising up to his own orbs.

There was nothing **they** could do.

* * *

"Hey Lucy.. Roses are appropriate right?" A messy head of pink leaned over the gravestone, laying a bouquet of pink roses. Out of politeness, he ran a finger across the name, tracing each letter carefully. "Heartfilia... I never told you, but I always thought your last name was pretty, well for a girl. But you got that from your father and that just seems totally weird for an old guy like him."

"Natsu.. You're rambling. Relax." Slender pale arms came into view as they wrapped themselves around his neck, nose nuzzling into the scarf he always wore. "She loves you, I know it. Now come on, let's go inside. It's getting cold."

He nods with a lingering gaze towards the tombstone, before he sweeps the woman into a bridal hold, grinning from cheek to cheek. "You really think that she would approve of us?"

Her cheeks never failed to darken and she buries her face into his chest with a nod. "Of course. Mama always told me to follow my heart, and my heart.." She paused, stuttering as she chewed on her lower lip. "You're my heart."

He smirked, leaning in close so that she turned a darker shade of red. "That's good. I didn't think your father would approve though.."

"He has no choice but to approve. You're the one who keeps me alive and safe after all!"

"Heh. Ne.."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"...I love you too, you sloth."

"Eh? Wha-what? What sloth? Where?!"

The woman burst into laughter, shaking out her long blonde tresses, that one streak of pink highlighted by the setting sun. "It's nothing, Natsu. Nothing important~"

"..You're not keeping something from me again, are you?"

"Yeah, I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?!"

"I'm just kidding. Come on, the food is getting cold!" She sprung from his hold, darting forward with the jingle of her keys.

"LUUUCCYYY!"

* * *

A.N: I couldn't do a sad story after all...well I could, but I have no idea how many of you would try to murder me, so...yes XD

Update: Due to requests, this story shall be continued! Tune in and review to let me know about your opinions!


	2. Author's Note

A.N: Unfortunately, this isn't a chapter update. However! If you've been following me, you would have realized that I recently put up two of newer works; "Fairy's Winter Tale" and "Secret Best Friend"; a NaLu and Laxana fanfiction respectively. This doesn't mean that I've lost interest in Fading Roses or Christmas News. On the contrary, my muse is raging and I've been trying to write something out for these two stories, along with another NaLu fic I've been working on.

But please do be patient! I have school and lots of other things to get to, and hence don't quite have much time. And I most certainly do not want to let you guys read rubbish. Sooooo~

Hang in there.

Oh and...I really am no good with the formatting on this site...so please do forgive me if the formatting is off.

Join me in squealing in excitement for our favourite shipping W

NALU FOR THE WIN!

Oh, and love for the writer over here is very much welcomed XP


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